The label's second most-successful all-female singing group after The Supremes, Martha & the Vandellas were known for a churchier, more southern-styled soul than the Supremes, as typified in Motown hits such as "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Jimmy Mack", "I'm Ready For Love", "My Baby Loves Me", "Nowhere to Run", and, their signature song, "Dancing in the Street".
The group had its origins in Detroit, Michigan in 1957, and had initially gone by the name The Del-Phis. It originally was a quartet comprising childhood friends Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, Annette Beard, and original lead singer Gloria Williams. Williams left after a failed single on the Checkmate label, leaving the quartet as a trio. They changed their name to The Vells signing a deal with Motown's Mel-o-dy label, and singing background for established Motown performers such as Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye before signing a new deal with Motown's Gordy label on September 21, 1962, after which the group changed its name to Martha and the Vandellas.
In 1964, the Vandellas' lineup changed with Betty Kelley replacing Sterling. In 1967, Kelley was fired and was replaced by Martha's younger sister, Sandra "Lois" Reeves. In 1969, Ashford was also fired and replaced by Sandra Tilley. The lineup of the Reeves sisters and Tilley continued after Martha's return from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown. The group disbanded following a farewell concert, held at Detroit's Cobo Hall on December 21, 1972., however, Reeves still performs with sister Lois and another Reeves sister, Delphine.
Nowhere To Run
Martha & The Vandellas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
It's not love, I'm a running from,
It's the heartbreak I know will come.
'Cause I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me.
Ev'rywhere I go, your face I see, ev'ry step I take, you take with me yeah
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide
I know you're not good for me, but free of you I'll never be, no.
Each night as I sleep, into my heart you creep.
I wake up feelin' sorry I met you, hoping soon that I'll forget you.
When I look in the mirror to comb my hair
I see your face just a smiling there.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from you baby,
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me,
How can I fight a lover, that shouldn't be, when it's so deep,
So deep, deep inside of me
My love reaches so high I can't get over it
It's so wide I can't get around it, no
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from you baby
Just can't get away from you baby, no matter how I try to
I know you're no good for me, but free of you I'll never be,
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide, got nowhere to run to baby.
The song "Nowhere To Run" by Martha & The Vandellas is a heart-wrenching tale of a woman who finds herself trapped in a toxic relationship with someone who is no good for her. Despite her best efforts to break free and move on, she feels that she has nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from the heartbreak that she knows is coming. The lyrics describe how her love for this person has become a part of her, and she cannot escape their presence no matter where she goes or what she does. The chorus repeats the phrase "Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide," emphasizing the feeling of helplessness and desperation that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide
The situation is critically difficult and no matter where I go or what I do, I can't escape or avoid it.
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
The situation feels inescapable and I am suffocated by it.
It's not love, I'm a running from,
I am not trying to escape from love itself, but rather the despair and anguish that comes with being in a relationship with someone who is not good for me.
It's the heartbreak I know will come.
I realize that staying in this relationship will ultimately lead to heartbreak and pain.
'Cause I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me.
I am aware that this relationship is detrimental to me, however, I am so invested in it that it has become a part of who I am.
Ev'rywhere I go, your face I see, ev'ry step I take, you take with me yeah
Even when I am not physically with you, your presence lingers and I can't seem to escape the memories and emotions associated with you.
I know you're not good for me, but free of you I'll never be, no.
Although I am aware of your negative impact on me, I am not able to break away from you completely and move on.
Each night as I sleep, into my heart you creep.
Even as I try to rest and forget, thoughts of you still invade my mind and heart.
I wake up feelin' sorry I met you, hoping soon that I'll forget you.
I often wake up with regret about getting involved with you and hope that I can soon move on and forget you.
When I look in the mirror to comb my hair, I see your face just a smiling there.
Even in mundane moments of my daily routine, thoughts and memories of you persist and haunt me.
I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me,
I am emotionally attached to you despite knowing that you are not good for me, and this bond is hard to break.
How can I fight a lover, that shouldn't be, when it's so deep,
Despite knowing that this relationship is negative for me, it is hard to let go and move on because the emotions are so deep and ingrained.
So deep, deep inside of me
The emotions and attachment to this relationship are deeply rooted inside of me and hard to shake off.
My love reaches so high I can't get over it
My love and emotional attachment to this relationship are so strong that I can't seem to move past it.
It's so wide I can't get around it, no
The emotional attachment and connection are so wide and expansive that they are impossible to ignore or avoid.
Just can't get away from you baby, no matter how I try to
Despite my efforts to move on and break away from this relationship, I am still unable to escape its clutches.
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide, got nowhere to run to baby.
Overall, the situation is all-consuming and inescapable, leaving me with nowhere to run or hide from the emotions and memories that haunt me.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RUSSELL JONES, JACK BLADES, RICK RUBIN, EARL SIMMONS, OZZY OSBOURNE, SCOTT KIRKLAND, KENNETH DAVID JORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Tarantulisimo
Martha Reeves - Lead vocals
Rosalind Ashford & Betty Kelly - background vocals
The Funk Brothers - All instruments
Benny Benjamin: drums
James Jamerson: bass guitar
Earl Van Dyke: Wurlitzer electric piano
Jack Ashford: percussion, tambourine, vibes
Ivy Jo Hunter: Detroit snow chains
Robert White: guitar
Eddie Willis: guitar
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr. - songwriters
Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland - producers
@markplane5994
I start Spring Cleaning tomorrow and my stereo is going to get abused with Martha, Aretha, Motown and Northern Soul.( if you are familiar with the Northern Soul Genre) Nothing under 50 years old and I am going to literally shake the house as I clean (unless I blow my speakers, which would be a really bad day) Don't know about my hips being loosened, but I could have very well dislocated them by the end of the day. lol.
If you are not from the UK, have a look at this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul
Here is a quick preview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TEyxwXIRPs&list=PLfMaV_DTTyta-hFFXFtw0OyeNqRUfOx9x&index=3
@ramsnover3599
63 yrs old, Detroit Bred, Every 2 days i heard a new motown song come out when i was young...
@markcf83
I don't doubt it for one minute. Motown were prolific.
@ralphsorrenti1602
At 65 I hear this music and I say to myself GOD I was luckly to be alive, when this music first came out. You wil NEVER EVER hear music like this again.
@salimaalazri9664
don't i wish i lived then cause i believe i was born into the wrong era when the musics actually meant something, unlike the garbage the produce these days :(
@motowngirl5891
Never
@beautyan5309
Truth
@frankmalinaro9700
~~ at 73 ..I hear ya...really blessed we are . The crap they call music today is unlistenable to me.ย
My motto is " Pick a decade and be true to it ".
@Snuffnguts
I'm lucky in this gen cause I can listen to it for free lmfao
@authenticallykyle
This song is so recognizable, makes me think of so many movies I love. Congratulations on Martha's Hollywood star today โค
@lettsifo
It has been almost fifty years since I served in the South Vietnam War. But this song a;ways moves me to tears when I think of buddies lost in that senseless war. It still sadden me to think that they were given a chance to grow up and become men. Three of them were still in their teens when they died.